In its latest Q4 earnings report, Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) beat all analyst expectations and grew its revenue 18% over the year. Alphabet continues to prove its ability to turn a profit even as the global economy remains sluggish.

Nearly four weeks ago, Money Morning Technical Trading Specialist D.R. Barton predicted on CNBC that Alphabet stock would outperform its sector in early 2016. Barton was on CNBC again Monday to talk about why Alphabet stock is doing better than the broader markets. GOOG is now up 1.6% for the year, with the Dow down about 8%.

Here's the one big reason Alphabet stock is up – and why shares will continue this rise in 2016…

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